Hankook Winter I cept RS3

The Hankook Winter I cept RS3 is a Premium Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 17 tire reviews averaging 80% over 58,300 miles driven, and 11 tests with an average result of 6th.

Dry Grip 87%
Wet Grip 87%
Road Feedback 76%
Handling 81%
Wear 81%
Comfort 66%
Buy again 75%
Snow Grip 92%
Ice Grip 78%

First On MarketMay 2021
Wheel Size14 - 17"
Width165 - 225mm
Profile45 - 70
Rolling ResistanceC - D
Wet GripB - B
Noise (dB)70 - 72
Winter Rating3PMSF Rated

The Winter I cept RS3 is ranked 41st of 67 Winter Premium Touring tires.

This tire replaced the Hankook Winter i cept RS2.

In Depth Tire Comparisons

Tests Included

11

Best Result

3rd

Worst Result

14th

Average Result

6th

Latest Tire Test Results

2024 Auto Express Winter Tire Test
3rd of 7 tires
  • The Hankook earned third place with strong snow performance and solid wet results. It was fastest around the snow circuit, showing good initial grip and strong traction. Snow handling revealed effective adjustability, backed by second place in braking and third in traction tests. The tire led both straight and curved aquaplaning tests by a clear margin. In other wet tests, it placed third on the wet circle and fourth in braking, just one metre behind the best. Wet handling tests placed it fourth, where it showed predictable behavior but less initial grip than the top performers. Dry testing was its weakest area - the tire needed 2.5m more stopping distance than the best and placed fifth in handling, though only half a second off the fastest time. The Hankook showed good stability on initial laps but became less stable with repeated use. Low rolling resistance added to its overall package.
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2024 Auto Bild Winter Tire Test
6th of 23 tires
  • Sporty direct performance in any weather, good reserves in aquaplaning, outstanding mileage, fair price.
  • Extended wet braking distance.
  • The Hankook Winter i*cept RS3 offers a compelling mix of performance and value. It provides sporty, direct handling in all weather conditions and particularly excels in aquaplaning resistance. With outstanding mileage and a fair price, it's an attractive option for budget-conscious drivers. However, its slightly extended wet braking distance is a point to consider. Notably, it won the "Eco-Master" award, indicating excellent environmental and economic performance.
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2024 All Season and Winter Tire Test
5th of 10 tires
  • The Hankook Winter icept RS3 W462 has a firm ride on uneven roads in dry conditions. Its rolling resistance and braking performance are acceptable but are not the best in this test. While offering excellent protection against aquaplaning in wet conditions, it has the longest braking distance. It requires larger steering inputs when cornering. On snow, it delivers a decent performance, with good grip but less clear feedback near its grip limits. Although the Hankook Winter icept RS3 W462 performs well on snow, its long braking distances on wet and dry surfaces prevent it from ranking higher.
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SizeFuelWetNoise
14 inch
165/70R14 81 TDB71
165/70R14 81 TDB71
185/60R14 82 TDB71
185/70R14 88 TCB71
165/70R14 85 T XLDB71
185/70R14 88 TCB71
175/65R14 82 TDB71
165/70R14 85 T XLDB71
175/65R14 82 TDB71
175/65R14 86 T XLDB71
175/65R14 86 T XLDB71
165/70R14 81 TDB71
165/70R14 85 T XLDB71
185/60R14 82 TDB71
185/70R14 88 TCB71
175/65R14 86 T XLDB71
185/60R14 82 TDB71
175/65R14 82 TDB71
15 inch
185/65R15 88 TDB71
185/65R15 92 T XLCB71
195/65R15 91 HCB72
195/55R15 85 HDB72
195/65R15 95 T XLCB72
195/65R15 91 TCB72
185/65R15 88 TDB71
195/65R15 91 TCB72
185/65R15 88 TDB71
185/65R15 92 T XLCB71
195/55R15 85 HDB72
195/65R15 91 HCB72
195/55R15 85 HDB72
195/65R15 95 T XLCB72
185/65R15 92 T XLCB71
195/65R15 91 TCB72
195/65R15 95 T XLCB72
16 inch
215/70R16 100 TCB72
205/55R16 91 HCB72
205/55R16 91 HDB72
205/60R16 92 HCB72
205/55R16 94 V XLCB72
205/55R16 94 H XLCB72
215/60R16 99 H XLCB72
205/55R16 91 TCB72
205/60R16 96 H XLCB72
205/60R16 92 HCB72
205/55R16 91 HCB72
205/55R16 91 HCB72
205/55R16 94 V XLCB72
205/55R16 91 TCB72
215/70R16 100 TCB72
215/60R16 99 H XLCB72
205/55R16 94 V XLCB72
205/60R16 96 H XLCB72
205/55R16 91 TCB72
215/60R16 99 H XLCB72
205/55R16 94 H XLCB72
215/70R16 100 TCB72
205/60R16 96 H XLCB72
205/55R16 94 H XLCB72
205/60R16 92 HCB72
17 inch
225/50R17 98 V XLCB72
225/45R17 91 HDB72
225/45R17 94 H XLCB72
215/55R17 98 V XLCB72
225/50R17 94 HDB72
225/45R17 91 HDB72
225/45R17 94 V XLCB72
225/45R17 94 V XLCB72
215/55R17 98 V XLCB72
225/45R17 94 H XLCB72
205/50R17 93 V XLCB72
225/50R17 98 V XLCB72
205/50R17 93 V XLCB72
225/45R17 94 V XLCB72
225/45R17 94 H XLCB72
225/45R17 91 VDB72
215/45R17 91 V XLDB72
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Hankook Winter I cept RS3 >>

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YouTube Review

Top 3 Hankook Winter I cept RS3 Reviews

Given 87% while driving a Volkswagen Golf (175/65 R14) on a combination of roads for 3,500 average miles
Hankook Winter I*cept RS3 tires were bought brand new in october of 2023, was manufactured a few months earlier and stamped as made in Korea. Tires were used on 1997 Volkswagen Golf Mk3, 1.9 TDI 66 kW (90 Hp), without ABS, TC or other driver assists.

First season/initial thoughts:
Dry roads - car was predictible, tires felt a little bit softer and less responsive, in comparision with summer tires (in my case it's 195/55 R15 2020's Michelin Energy Saver+), but it's a winter tire, so it's absolutly normal to have a slightly different feeling in steering response or handling when having in mind they're softer compound than summer tires. But they felt secure from city roads to country roads or motorways.
Wet roads - car was fully predictible too, I didn't had to face any aquaplaning, unexpected sliding or something similar, when driving in wet conditions, everything felt safe on all type of roads.
Snow - if we're talking about one of the most important winter tire quality, then Hankook Winter I*cept RS3's were perfect. There was zero problems in inclines, declines, corners, in slush or deeper snow, also in traction or braking on snowy roads (biggest part of driving was on country roads). And last winter in Lithuania we had enough deeper snow, colder temperatures (few weeks up to -25°C, usualy around -10°C), etc., despite that traction was great, handling too. And even when car was having a wheel spin (mostly when driving more agressive, with calm, easy going driving style - tires had more than enough traction and didn't spin the wheels, quick reminder - an old Golf Mk3 without traction control), it didn't stop moving, didn't start to slide in a middle of the corner uncontrollably, and I was a little bit shocked, because tires had plenty of playfulness and room for safe driving on the limit.
Ice - I didn't had much experience on icy roads last year, but in a few situations, they didn't felt too bad, so if you're driving safely enough in those icy conditions, you shouldn't have any problems. Considering fact, that they are non-studded and/or not soft compound tires, they do their job great enough.
Handling/road feedback - overall they felt secure and responsive enough, you felt that tire limits line great and tires gave enough response of what they're doing.
Comfort - in first season I didn't hear too much of the tire noise, didn't felt any major comfort issues overall, it was slightly noisier than summer tires, but no big deal.
Wear - I don't remember brand new tires depth, I believe it was around 7.5-8 mm, after winter season and about 5000 km's I measurred it, and it wasn't much of a difference, maybe ~ 0.5-1 mm less, in comparision when they were new.

Second season:
Winter tires season in Lithuania started only a month ago, so we didn't have any snow or ice yet, at least in my region, only dry or rainy days with temperatures around 0°C, with a light cold at nights and positive temperatures at days. On dry or wet roads they feel same as in last years, in snow or ice - we'll see, but main change is - noise. Tires became much more noisier, especially around 70-80 km/h, around 90-100 km/h they become less noisy again. And it's not the worst tire noise I have experienced in my life, but it's not the most fun too.

All in all - tires are great for their purpose, bought them after Jonathan winter tires review on Tire Reviews YouTube and I haven't regret this choice, because of their great properties on dry, wet, snowy or even icy roads. Price and quality rate was great too (~ 230 Eur for set of 4 tires, I should say thanks for small and narrow size, for me Hankook's price was a sweet spot, because budget tires set would have cost ~ 160-180 Eur and premium tires set would have cost ~ 300-500 Eur, so in middle price range, there wasn't much of a better choices), I would strongly consider buying them again, but off course - it would be nice if they would be less noisy.
Helpful 187 - tire reviewed on December 6, 2024
Given 82% while driving a Audi 3.2 v6 Quattro (255/35 R19) on a combination of roads for 600 average miles
This is an initial review having just fitted them (15th November in Scotland). The temperatures have just dropped below 7 deg C and there's been heavy rain and local flooding. The tires handle very well in standing water and give a lot of confidence. Swapping to these from Continental Sport Contact 7's has been interesting as they are a lot more comfortable both in terms of cabin noise and feedback from the road. In terms of dry handling etc it's a bit difficult to tell as the Quattro drivetrain would probably make a budget tire look decent, however they feel great on the windy stuff, no issues there at all. Alternating between spirited driving on country roads and monthly drives down the M74/M6 to England I was expecting to see a large increase in fuel consumption (previous experience with winter tires) however on the 600 mile drive down south I averaged 34 mpg* which was much the same as with the Conti's. Even better was that the road noise was much, much less which surprised me as they weren't rated very highly for that in the test. I'll be updating this after we get some snow. * cruise control 7x mph, all the way!
Helpful 91 - tire reviewed on November 28, 2022
Given 49% while driving a Volkswagen Golf 6 2.0 TDI 140bhp (205/55 R16) on mostly motorways for 0 average miles
The loudest winter tire I´ve ever had. Disappointed with noise level and rolling resistance. I drive 90% on a highway and don´t feel very comfortable at speed 130km/h and continuous rain. Fuel consumption higher in compare to Conti TS860 (previous tires). Dry grip and handling good. Wear N/A, made around 2500 km.
Helpful 44 - tire reviewed on January 12, 2023
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Latest Hankook Winter I cept RS3 Reviews

Given 37% while driving a Volvo S80 T6 (225/50 R17) on mostly town for 600 average miles
The Hankook tires are brand new, DOT 2024. I just put them on the car a month ago and I've done probably about 1000km with them, so I can't give proper feedback yet on how they handle and cope with snow. However, I can provide feedback on the noise levels. Do yoursleves a favor and DO NOT but that tire! The noise is pretty terrible. Imagine all wheel bearings have gone bad overnight. This is how bad it is. These are supposed to be premium tires, premium my a**. I have Kleber Krisalp HP3 on my other car and it is a far better tire for everyday use.
Helpful 1 - tire reviewed on December 6, 2024
Given 75% while driving a Skoda Octavia (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 4,000 average miles
Good tires, especially compared to my old Debica Frigo tires. On snow, they are quite predictable: you know what to expect from them and where their limit is. They also hold up average on ice. For frequent driving on ice, I would recommend other tires. These tires perform best on wet snow, when the snow is mixed with water, like slush. In those conditions, they're unbeatable. They handle well, especially when there's a lot of snow mixed with salt or on a strong snowfall when the temperature is mild. These are probably some of the most challenging conditions in a city, because everyone is tense, driving conditions are tough, but you feel confident, both braking and handling in these conditions are excellent.
Helpful 7 - tire reviewed on October 22, 2024
What to know the BEST All Season Tires for 2024? Click to find out!
Given 78% while driving a BMW 318D (205/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 13,000 spirited miles
2 winters on them, not very much snow in those 2 winters but I did try them in mid life on a montuain during a snow storm going on RWD car and I made it with zero problems to the top. Biggest complaint is the wear on them. 3rd winter will be my final with this set.
Helpful 8 - tire reviewed on October 2, 2024
Ford Focus (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 3,500 easy going miles
I used continental ts850 for 11 winters since they were new. I replaced them due to age although they still had some 6,5mm left, no dry rot or something like that and worked decently. Hankook Winter I cept RS3 were again bought new in 2023 and were manufactured several months ago. Compared to ts850 the car now feels stiffer on the road, ts850 gave sensibly softer feeling like I was driving on some soft rubber surface, not aphalt. RS3 being stiffer, rolls a bit better. Grip wise, I can feel in sharp cornering on asphalt RS3 gives sensibly more grip than ts850 at its last 3 years. Snow, wet works well, but my driving style is conservative, I can't say much about their limits. They start getting much noisier over some 93 km/h, but I rarely go above 90, so I don't care, but ts850 did not have this problem. To me they feel like good tires.
Helpful 4 - tire reviewed on August 22, 2024
Given 92% while driving a SEAT Cupra Formentor 2022 (245/40 R19) on a combination of roads for 12,000 spirited miles
absolutly perfect winter tire they brake and turn very well on dry and wet roads no problem with aquaplaning, grip on snow is amazing, on the highway 140+km/h 90+m/h little bit noisier but I am very glad that I bough this tires for my 310hp Cupra Formentor AWD no problem drive on limit
Helpful 6 - tire reviewed on July 18, 2024
Given 67% while driving a Honda Accord Euro (225/55 R17) on mostly town for 3,000 spirited miles
I'm pretentious where many might be not. So the noise for me is a huge dissapointment, I should have known but I just didn't think clearly before buying, other winter tires can get to 69 DB, this one is 72 DB for my tire spec size. And it's LOUD inside the cabin compared to my continental efficientgrip summer tires.
Other than that, snow, rain are very good. Feels safe even at 160-200 km/h. Comfort is kinda lower than a summer tire for me and it feels softer when steering.
It does the job done but.... one tire cracked for me, and I didn't hit ANYTHING and very low mileage maybe no more than 4000 kms, so I just changed that one tire but it definitely gives me a bad and cheap feel about them right now, scary actually. I hit some car breaking holes with the summer tire and no issues so that's what I'm comparing with.

The noise just makes me regret them so much though :(, I might end up selling them, that bad for me, but they were pretty pricey so I might just be stuck with them as I don't wanna lose too much money on them. 100 Euros per tire and I had higher expectations from the reviews.
Helpful 6 - tire reviewed on June 12, 2024
Given 86% while driving a Dacia Logan (185/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 2,500 average miles
The grip in dry and wet is really good, i had an opportunity to drive on a snow-ice covered highway lateral grip is great, no slip while accelerating and braking. Aquaplaning resistance is high, I drove on the highway in pouring rain and didn't feel unstable or like it was aquaplaning, overall great in wet. Ice grip is as accepted for a non studded winter tire, drove up a icy driveway with stopping in the middle to check the grip, and it climbed with no difficulty and bit of wheel spin. Overall i recommend the Hankook Winter i*CEPTrs3 strong in dry, wet and snowy. Handling is like you would expect from a soft 15" winter tire, not direct but also not unusable.
Helpful 16 - tire reviewed on January 28, 2024
Given 88% while driving a Saab Automobile Saab 93ss Aero 250bhp (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 2,000 average miles
Fitted these as it was getting too cold for my summer tires (Bridgestone Turanza T001), but haven't hit any snow with them. After fitting them, it completely transformed my car, in a very positive way. On my summer tires it was very easy to start spinning in second gear in the wet, when just mashing the throttle, but now it's an absolute acceleration monster. These tires proved to me, I really need to get rid of my summer tires, even tho they have enough thread left, they are just done age wise (about 10 years old). Fuel economy is pretty good, didn't notice any decrease from the summer tires, but those might have been bad aswell. Cornering in both dry and wet is really good. It gives plenty of confidence you're gonna make the corner, even at silly speeds for wet conditions. In all fairness, it almost feels like driving on dry roads, when it's wet out. Haven't noticed any form of aquaplaning, even in insane rain which made me float on summers. Even tho I do enjoy sporty driving from time to time, I have a hard time getting to the limit of the tires, it keeps impressing me by handling more then I would imagine it can do while staying very neutral. Braking is also very impressive on both wet and dry. The couple of times I had to do an emergency stop, the tires wouldn't stop gripping and just stopped the car, making me look backwards so to not outbreak the person behind me instead of being scared of hitting the person in front of me. All in all, very recommended tire. It might be priced a little below premium tires, but they perform just like (if not better) then premium tires.
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on February 23, 2023
Given 97% while driving a BMW (225/50 R17) on a combination of roads for 2,000 average miles
I did some serious research before buying this tire. I oscillate between several brands, including the Hankook RS3. The reviews on Tirereviews led me to opt for the RS3 in the end. I recommend the ones with rim protection, as long as it not only protects the curbs, but also the gravel that bounces off the roads. On the other hand, the tire seems much more robust than the one without rim protection. In RO there is a difference of 15 euros / tire.
To begin with, I say that I did not test the tires in conditions of heavy snow because in Romania the first serious snow has just arrived, but I drove with them over 2000 km on roads with mud, rain and, of course, dry conditions. What surprised me the first time was the noise, which is almost non-existent in my car, although they are registered in the 72 dB category. In terms of mud traction, I've been to the mountains and climbed a steep incline with no problem, while my friends with 4x2 traction didn't budge from the bottom of the slope. Yes, we're talking about a 4x4 car, but it's not just about that as long as the tires you had before didn't offer the safety that they do. In fact, I had the opportunity to drive 1000 km continuously, along several relief zones, and I was impressed both on mountain serpentines and in the rain, on the plains, where I constantly went over 100 km/h, without being disturbed by the noise that the tire makes when draining the water.
I'm curious how long they will last as the BMW E60 530xd (235hp) wears out the tires faster than other cars I've had. If they pass the endurance test, I'll put them on again, maybe even RS4, in case they show up in the meantime. Anyway, they are above my expectations considering I had Continental before these. I wouldn't say they are lower, although the price is 35-40% lower. In the morning we encountered the first snow of this winter but the streets were clear so I can't give clear feedback on this surface but I'm sure it wouldn't disappoint. In Romania, a set of 4 tires 225/50/17 94H costs about 460 euros (with rim protection included). I installed them in December 2022, with DOT October 2022 (made in Hungary).
Originally, having 4x4 traction, I wanted to put all season, but I'm glad I didn't as long as you don't enjoy driving fully you play in summer or winter. Safety comes first.
I recommend the Hankook RS3.
Helpful 43 - tire reviewed on January 28, 2023
Given 93% while driving a Volkswagen Passat B5.5 1.9 TDi 130bhp highline (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 6,000 easy going miles
A very good tire from Hankook. Very good in all weather conditions and on all surfaces. Very stable on dry and wet surfaces. Very good and stable on snow.
Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on January 27, 2023
Given 90% while driving a Suzuki Swift (185/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 5,000 spirited miles
I am very happy with Hankook Winter I cept RS3 on my Suzuki Swift 2017. I had a chance to try them on dry, wet and snow. Tires perform excellent. I was the most amazed with snow grip. I wanted to "play" on empty parking lot, but I could not as the tires were gripping to the snow covered surface so well that the car did not want to slide. Tires perform great on the wet also. I can start almost like in dry with summer tires. Dry grip is also excellent as expected. They grip well, but the feeling on the steering wheel is a bit soft, but afterall, it is winter tire. Noise is ok, there is some extra on cca 100 km/h, but it goes away at 110 km/h. Consumption is also good, I did not notice some extra compared to summer. All in all, one of the best winter tires I had in my life.
Helpful 42 - tire reviewed on December 8, 2022
Given 75% while driving a MINI JCW 2020 (205/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 100 average miles
Very good new tires from Hankook. They are budget friendly and I chose them because I was happy with previous winter tires from Hankook. They make great winter tires apart from their summer which I would never buy again. Back to these tires. I was surprised by how much dry grip they provide, nice feedback. Same thing on the wet, they are outstanding. Much better than winter Pirelli I had before. Can’t wait to try them on snow. They are a bit noisier, but the pattern and texture of the tire is the cause. I would buy them again.
Helpful 29 - tire reviewed on November 27, 2022